A Czech dealer has apparently leaked the cost of Steam engine by listing it on their website and hiding the price in the source code, and you might not be happy with it. There is as much hype surrounding the upcoming Steam PC/console hybrid from Valve as there are uncertainties and concerns regarding its potential price tag. This is due to a few reasons:
-
Popular YouTuber and tech expert Linus of Linus Tech Tips commented on the Steam Machine's price, saying it will likely retail for at least $699 based on its $600 components.
-
Since the hardware is a hybrid between PC and console, it has some more expensive parts that can make it quite expensive to purchase, especially from third-party sellers if or when Steam runs out of stock.
-
There is an ongoing shortage of RAM, which is used in the construction of computers, phones and consoles, potentially affecting the final price of the Steam Machine as well as the Switch 2.
Since Valve has yet to announce the release date for the Steam Machine as well as its intended price tag, a lot is up in the air right now. Except that a Czech retailer, Smarty, who is also an authorized seller of Valve products in the Czech Republic, may have leaked the intended price of the new console.
Say hello to The Steam Machine's $1,000 price tag
If the retailer has correct information about the console, it will come in two versions: a 512GB Steam Machine and one that holds 2TB of storage. Both are listed on the website with their supposed price hidden in the source code. For the 512GB version, the claimed price is CZK 19,826, which is basically $950 ($949.76 based on current exchange rates). The 2 TB version is claimed to be 22,305 CZK, which translates to $1,068.51. These Steam Machine prices are reportedly pre-tax, and Smarty typically puts a 17% markup, meaning the actual prices could be as follows:
-
Around $800 for the 512GB Steam Machine
-
Around $900 for the 2 TB Steam Machine
The exact values would be $810.90 for the former and $913.25 for the latter, which is calculated by dividing the original number by 1.17 to represent Smarty's 17% margin.
If this is true, between potential price changes due to the RAM shortage crisis, potential exchange rate fluctuations, and last minute internal changes at Valve, it's quite likely that the 2 TB version of the Steam Machine will be $1,000 or more, if not the tactical $999 to make it seem cheaper. Whether or not this is an affordable price for you to buy Valve's new hardware is entirely up to you, but there have been various posts online saying that the console wouldn't be a good buy at more than $800 due to its specs.
Is the steam engine worth buying for $1,000?
The counter argument to pre-ordering a Steam Machine is that you could very well get a gaming PC at that point, but between expensive GPUs for good performance and the increased prices of RAM units, it could end up costing a lot more. Meanwhile, the Steam Machine's several accessories likely won't be included in the base price if the Steam Deck is any indication.
It's worth noting that, despite Smarty's self-disclosed connection to Valve, there's a chance the price could be high compared to the actual MSRP of the Steam store page.
But even if the leaked price is true, Valve's console could very well end up being one of the best options for those who don't have a full-featured gaming PC or like the idea of Steam games on console, if not both. This is precisely because of the possible prices of gaming PCs and even other consoles moving forward, making the Steam Machine a good, perfectly average option between Xbox/PlayStation/Nintendo and high-end PCs.
Source: smarty.cz
